First Responders Put to the Test During
Vigilant Guard Exercise in Maine
Story and Photos by Sgt. Angela Parady
A major winter ice storm
bringing nearly three feet of
snow and frigid temperatures
leaves hundreds of thousands
without power. An ice arena
collapses with an unknown
number of people inside;
later that night there is a
suspected terrorist attack at
a major government facility.
A suspected anthrax lab has
been reported, and hazardous
material has leaked on a
ship coming into Portland
International Marina.
This culmination of events
was only an exercise to
test the preparedness of
emergency management
systems in Maine, but it
could happen. To be better
prepared, emergency aid
agencies and National
Guard soldiers from seven
states, and first responders
participated in a Vigilant
Guard exercise in Maine Nov.
5-8.
Every year, NGB and the U.S.
Northern Command pick four
locations to host the exercise.
Each location is in a different
FEMA region, so the likelihood
of a state being able to host
the event more than once is
rare. The goal of the program
is to enhance both National
Guard and state emergency
preparedness.
All of the participants work
together to assess storm
damage, identify hazmat
threats, decontamination,
search and rescue, patient
extraction, triage, and
other emergency-response
measures. Working side
by side and being able to
recognize one another helps
develop relationships before
they are in the emergency
situation.
Lt. Col. Diane Dunn, a Maine
Army National Guard soldier
who works for Joint Force
Headquarters said that the
exercise has met every goal
they set out to accomplish,
primarily networking and
developing resources.
“Every single
time you get
military partners
working side by
side with civilians
they establish
relationships, and
that is probably
the most important
thing,” said Dunn.
“Understanding who the
leaders are, and what tasks
belong to whom, so when you
have to support someone, you
already know their strengths
and weaknesses and where
you fit into that picture.
Those experiences make this
exercise more valuable.”
During the last 13 months,
Dunn has worked very closely
with Maine Emergency
Management Agency Exercise
Officer, Jeremy Damren. They
worked directly with NGB
and NORTHCOMM to plan
the event. He agreed that
communication is essential
to developing working
relationships.
’Many of our responders here
would be the same people
responding to our neighboring
states as well,” said Damren.
“So now, we recognize these
faces and can hopefully work
a bit closer than had we just
shown up. I think anytime
you exchange business cards
before an emergency its
always better than doing it
during the emergency.”
Although Maine has not
had anything to this scale
happen yet, it could happen.
Emergency situations in New
England, such as Hurricane
Irene, or Hurricane Sandy
that required a multistate
response, have already
happened, and this just helps
train everyone to be better
equipped.
Dunn, a native of Newburgh,
said this training is the
opportunity of a lifetime for
the National Guard.
“It gives us the opportunity
to not only understand the
resources and capabilities
the civilians have, but also
our role,” she said. “How we
support our civilians, and
where we would fit into our
communities and to make
sure our families and our
community members are
safe. Most importantly, that
can help response efforts like
this.”
When a disaster strikes,
trained, local emergency
personnel respond first. When
the first responders have
expended their resources, the
county comes in to assist. In
a situation like Vigilant Guard,
with multiple competing
priorities, whether it is
sheltering people, clearing
roads, or just public safety in
general, sometimes they too
run out of resources.
That’s when MEMA, enters
the picture. They have a
designated planning staff that
is responsible for responding
to emergencies. They can look
at all the resources state wide
and see where things can be
shared. After the state